xp_logs | Warren and Adri -- Working out

In which Adrienne and Warren meet, and Warren confesses a secret desire.

There was definitely a feeling of freedom at the mansion that he appreciated. It was a thought that kept recurring in his mind, as he found that he could do things without really worrying about what others thought.

Like work out, for instance. He would never have used a shared gym before, it would've been too awkward with his wings, so he had built a specialized gym in his home where he could work out. But here -- well, who cared? Shirt off, he was happy to let his wings be free while he did some kickboxing with a blocking dummy. Warren had always been passionate about working out, and found that he gained definition quickly. It always amused him to read bodybuilding magazines, trying to achieve the look that he managed to gain effortlessly. There had to a reason for it, such as his mutation or something, but he just liked to think he was perfect and that was all there was to it.

With his Walkman on, he punched to the beat of some random mix Miles had made him. Having younger friends meant odd music, he thought to himself.

Coming around the doorway of the gym, Adrienne stopped short when she saw the attractive, shirtless winged man near the bag she'd intended to use. She blinked several times, taken aback. From the wings, she thought she was looking at Warren Worthington- the Warren Worthington she'd gone to the opera so many times with, celebrated and comisserated with. But the features were slightly different. The longer she stared, the more she became convinced that she wasn't looking at the Warren she'd known, but she was looking at a Warren. It was eerie.

With the music blaring, he didn't realize someone was there. When he finished the reps, he turned and noted an attractive brunette standing there. Looking at him.

Naturally, he assumed she was admiring the view. Reaching up to take his headphones out, he flashed a grin. "I know I'm fantastic to stare at, but please don't let me stop you from using the facilities. There's plenty of gym for us all. Although," he added coyly, "I do enjoy sharing if necessary."

The arrogance and blatant attempt at a pick-up line jolted Adrienne out of her shock and she continued on into the room, setting her hand wraps and water bottle down on one of the benches. It took a few moments for her to poke her brain into its proper speed again, but luckily- and uncharacteristically- she managed to keep her mouth shut instead of shooting off something ridiculously awkward. "Warren Worthington, I presume?" she said instead, striding over confidently and offering him a hand. "I'm Adrienne Frost." She considered telling him that his flirting was misplaced and that her boyfriend could probably snap him in half any day of the week, but it had been a really shitty couple weeks and she felt like she needed the harmless attention.

His smile widened. "Adrienne Frost. CEO of Meridian Enterprises." He shook her hand confidently. "It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I've heard good things about your company." The employees were happy, the people they represented were happy...although, he had to admit, if he was surrounded by beautiful people day in and day out, he'd probably be happy too.

That was a shallow thought.

"I'm assuming if you're here," he gestured vaguely to the room, "then we must share certain things in common, no?"

"If you're insinuating that I have a mutation, I'm sorry to disappoint you," Adrienne lied easily and pleasantly, launching into the 'cover story' she'd thought to use on people she wasn't sure if she could trust. If this Warren was anything like the one she'd known, Adrienne was sure she'd tell him the truth soon enough, but she felt it necessary to be overly cautious in this new world, particularly now that she had so much more to lose than she'd ever had before.

"I was made the guardian of a teenage girl who... was a mutant," she explained, and the sadness in her tone was genuine when she spoke of Tandy in the past tense. "Our association was kept well under wraps and the media doesn't know of it. Due to the troubles she had controlling her mutation, she moved here and I set myself up in a room within her suite. She... she's gone now, and yet I've remained. Primarily to use the gym facilities," she joked.

"And I've heard good things about Worthington Industries as well, obviously," she added, flashing a smile at him. "Even though I'd be lying if I said some of your father's latest contracts weren't ones I'd find questionable."

Warren nodded as she talked. It definitely didn't fit the general image of a Frost to take on the care of a young girl, especially one who could so easily affect Adrienne's reputation, but it was nice to hear.

That being said, the rest of what she had to say left him with a slight frown. "Yes, well, that is out of my control," he simply said brusquely. "While I'm VP, the CEO ultimately makes the decision and my father felt we needed to diversify. There's quite a bit of money in security these days."

"This is what I hear," Adrienne agreed with a nod. "Although I hope, for your sake, the rumours I've heard circulating around the Hellfire Club aren't true, with regards to what the Biotech CEO has been tinkering with.."

Rumours? Maybe that was how Jean had heard of it in the first place. She didn't mention much other than 'my people'. Warren gave her a strange look. "HFC? Isn't that a type of "good old boys" club? My father attends, but he doesn't seem to like it much. In fact, I don't think he's really talked about it before."

Adrienne laughed at his approximation of the Hellfire Club. She couldn't help it. It made her chuckle. "No, your father never seems to enjoy himself, that's true," she answered. She was going with an assumption based on the Worthingtons she'd known in the past, but from the look Warren was giving her, she figured these Worthingtons were similar enough. "Possibly because the Hellfire Club is less a 'good old boys' club and more a den of depravity and debauchery. As I'm sure you know, that's never really been your father's brand of cricket. Whatever that means," she shrugged good-naturedly. "However, for those not inclined to indulge in sexual hedonism with as many people in as little time as they possibly can, it remains one of the primary locales for power-brokering in the city. So I would imagine that's the reason your father still attends, despite his lack of enjoyment."

Sexual hedonism? Now Warren was definitely intrigued. No wonder his father never invited him to come with. He crossed his arms and tilted his head in amusement. "Please tell me that I have a membership to this club. I need to see this. For the business connections and networking possibilities of course."

Adrienne didn't really know what to think about that. She wished she knew Warren better, because his eagerness to experience the Hellfire's Club's debaucheries unnerved her a little, not knowing the degree to which he would indulge. Was he the type of person to abuse women, to use them and then throw them away, taking pleasure in manipulating the people hired to provide distraction and amusement for the rich men frolicking in the ancient mansions within the city? Or was he like Emma- just wanting new experiences, some fun, but not the type to hurt those they relied on for sexual escapades?

"They have hereditary membership," she told him, smiling at the joke she took his last line to be, though her smile didn't reach her eyes, still preoccupied as she was thinking about the dangers of the Hellfire Club, which led her to rethink the wisdom of rejoining the Club. "If your father's a member, you can be a member."

Warren gave a slow smile, which he hoped she interpreted as a happiness at the sexual escapades he was picturing. In all actuality, he was happy that he might be able to get ahead of his father. Maybe this club could provide him with valuable information

"Well, you've provided me with ample information here, and I've done nothing in return other than be topless. " He flashed a smile. "I feel I should return this inadvertent favour."

It took Adrienne every ounce of willpower not to laugh at him for his implication that his being topless was some kind of service to her. He'd clearly not met Garrison Kane. "What sort of... ample information are you offering to return to me for telling you about the Hellfire Club?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow, amused.

"I haven't the slightest idea," he confessed. "A businesswoman like you hardly needs to cash in favours on a regular basis. Wouldn't it be more efficient to bank this and use it at a later date?"

"If banking is an option, then yes," Adrienne nodded, pleased. "I haven't had a Worthington favour in... ever. I've never had a Worthington favour," she corrected with a shrug. "So how long have you been studying kickboxing?" Hopefully a change in topic would keep her from making the universe implode.

"On and off for a few years.". He gave a practised kick and sent the bag spinning. Reaching out, he steadied it with his hands and leaned slightly on it. "I prefer martial arts actually. I have blackbelts in Tae Kwon Do and Karate. There's a certain peace and honour when performing the katas and such.". Warren gestured to his wings. "They're also sports I can master on my own time. It's difficult to hid these when wearing a gi."

He motioned to her wraps. "Do you practice anything in particular?"

"I do not-kickboxing," she answered with her most winning smile. "Regular boxing. I also train in hand-to-hand combat, but no particular martial art. Mostly I swim and box and do archery," she explained. "But between running Meridian and working for X-Factor Investigations, I haven't been able to exercise as much as usual."

Warren's ears perked up. "X-Factor Investigations? What's that? I've never heard of that company."

"It's a firm of private detectives," she explained, starting to wrap her hands, "dealing primarily with matters concerning mutants, although that particular detail is kind of hush-hush. Missing persons, mainly, these days," she added with a flicker of sadness over her face. "It's pretty low-budget right now, honestly. Primarily because we operate out of the mansion at present, which means we're pretty isolated. But we're looking for a storefront in the city and then business should pick up."

One of Warren's most guarded kept secrets was his love of detective pulp fiction novels. The fedoras, the trench coats, the cigars...the dames. All of it had intrigued him since he was a kid, but he would never admit to it. The idea was oddly romantic to him, and to hear there was an actual firm.....

"I have a storefront." He smiled widely. "It's in Alphabet City, and purely exists for my needs. My loft is on top, so I rent out to businesses that interest me. Right now, there's a dry cleaner, some clothing stores, and a chinese restaurant right next door. I can offer up the space. I don't need rent." A pause. "But I would like to hear more about this. How does one get involved, if they were interested?"

Well, wasn't this interesting? Adrienne would have made a snarky comment about the rich boy wanting to pretend he was in a noir movie, but she realized the same was basically true of herself so she held her tongue. "Well, I suppose if one were interested one would offer me their sales pitch as to why they'd be interested and what they could bring to the table," she smiled, "and if I determined that their methods weren't entirely suspect, I'd introduce them to my three colleagues and we would discuss that person's involvement."

"Can we talk now? I do my best thinking half naked."

Adrienne snorted again. "I'll just bet that you do," she smirked. "Did you want to spar or something while we talk?"

Warren nodded and leaned on the punching bag. "You punch, I'll hold and talk." There was no problem in coming up with a proposal on the fly. This is what he did. He could sell ice to an eskimo, or so the expression went. "Personally, I think I'd like to know more regarding the background, or even the mission statement but to be completely honest, I'm really interested for the wardrobe." And then because he was fairly certain she'd punch him, he quickly added, "Kidding!"

Finishing with her wraps, Adrienne did some stretching. "Well, the mission statement's still being fine-tuned since we've... since we're just getting off the ground," she corrected herself. "Our intention, to a degree, is to carry on as we have been, as an agency focused on mutant issues and mutant-related crime. But with what happened on New Year's Eve, and the way the world's been reacting to mutants since then, we're also going to work closely with the other teams operating here and work on locating emerging mutants and mutants in trouble with domestic authorities. And bringing them here to Xavier's 'mutant haven' if they so wish." She shrugged. The team was still finding its feet now that Bishop and Vanessa were nowhere to be found, but Adrienne was pleased with the way things seemed to be heading with the new group.

"And it's too bad you're kidding. I'm totally in it for the wardrobe," she teased. "I look amazing in a fedora and trench."

"I will single handedly foot the uniform bill," he said immediately. "Cigars too, if necessary.". His hands lightly gripped the bag. Warren had a habit of needing to do something with his hands while he talked.

"I think I could be a valuable asset to this team. I have contacts all over the world, and I'm very good at finding information once I know it's there. Besides, I have the element of surprise. Who would expect me to do anything regarding mutants?". He smiled. "In addition, I have reasons to be around the world at the slightest drop of the hat. I always need assistants and people to help, so there's practically a built in cover there."

A pause. "I also have the real estate needed. You can have that storefront, and the loft in said building can be used for staff. Safe houses would be relatively easy to find and outfit. I have enough dummy corporations to make that happen.". He gave her a sheepish look. "For tax purposes. Being in the 1% is hard work."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Adrienne snorted, finishing up her stretches and taking a couple light practice jabs at the bag, bouncing on the balls of her feet to warm herself up.

She'd been planning on doing much the same as Warren was offering to do, but if he wanted to do it, better he take the risks associated with it all than she take them. right? His contacts, his ability to use his business as cover, and his wealth certainly would make him a valuable asset. And despite the fact that she didn't know this particular version of Warren Worthington all that well, she felt that she could trust him not to get them all killed. At least not deliberately. "That does sound like an offer I'd have to be a moron to refuse," she admitted. "I'll certainly take it to my colleagues, but I can't imagine they'd say no.

"Although, no cigars for me, thanks," she added. "I'm trying to quit smoking." She gave the bag a couple combo punches and decided to 'fess up. "Although, if you really are serious about working with me, you should probably know now- I'm always trying to quit smoking." She'd actually succeeded for a couple years there, but once she'd taken responsibility for Tandy she'd found it impossible to continue on being a non-smoker.

"I'm more of a social smoker myself," he said, holding the bag firm for her. "It's nice with a scotch, or after certain activities.". And there was that cocky grin again.

"But in all honesty, I am serious. I feel as if I had been existing with my head in the sand, and now that I have a better understanding of it all..." His grin wavered slightly. It was hard knowing his father was actively working against this. His wings bristled a bit as he put a certain resolve on.his face. "I want to help. However I can. I can't be out, but I can work behind the scenes."

"Don't encourage me to smoke or Kane will probably hurt you," Adrienne chuckled, so focused on the bag she forgot she wasn't talking to the Warren she knew. Oh well. She'd just let him ponder who Kane was. "I appreciate your resolve about this," she told him sympathetically. "Believe me. I think all of us get to that point in our lives you're at right now. Where we realize we want to do all within our means to help the situation we're in. I only got to it a few months ago myself. But I understand. So yeah. Let's do it, huh? I can set up a meeting with the others. Maybe at the storefront you're offering?"

Kane? He could only shrug at that name. It meant nothing to him, therefore was nothing he needed to be bothered by. "I'm game. I have a business trip to Los Angeles in the next day or so, but it's meant to be a one day thing, so I'll be back soon. Give me your number, and I'll text you the address. I'd be happy to meet everyone as well. Let them know that I'm sincere."

"I will," Adrienne nodded. She patted her yoga pants but found herself lacking her usual pencil and notebook. "Uhh, do you have something I can write your number with? Or should I just call your office?"

He couldn't hide the grin on his face. This would be an interesting opportunity."Call my office. I'll ensure my assistant, Jolene, knows to forward your calls.". Warren motioned to the bag. "Now. Punch away your frustrations. Pretend I'm the government and I just found your tax haven."

Been there, done that, Adrienne thought wryly, giving Warren a smirk. "If you were the government, why would I punch the bag?" she asked him curiously, sounding as innocent as possible.

"Because. I'm going to try to take your money." Duh.

"Yeah. So why would I punch the bag?" Adrienne repeated, and took a swing at Warren's head, though she pulled the punch.

Warren ducked and grinned. "I think I'm going to like working with you."